Tacos Casa Sonora — Restaurant in Toronto

I wish I liked this place a bit more.

I was visiting from out of town and stopped by this joint Saturday night.

The cook half-heartedly took my order and then started to type on his phone; he looked preoccupied and I wasn’t sure if he got my order. I was a bit at a loss. I wasn’t sure if he would ring me up or get cooking.

I was later told that I could sit.

Another customer came by and put in a to-go order. The cook didn’t catch it was to-go so he had to reassemble it in a container.

Then a third entered to pick up a mobile order. This customer seemed frustrated bc the cook asked her 2x what the order was when he had the mobile order to reference.

I believe there was a restaurant manager - she was nice and we chatted for a bit but she also looked taken aback by the cook’s ineptitude.

When I got my order, it was still cold, which was unfortunate. You could tell it would have tasted great if it was heated or made to order.

Again, I wanted to like this place a bit more and maybe the cook was having an off day but this was like 3-4...

This was my best Mexican food experience yet. I consider myself and my partner foodies and we almost lost all hope on eating beef from Mexican restaurants until trying out this place. It was MOIST and bursting with flavor. The ingredients were fresh and home made which I could taste in every bite from the hot sauce to the marinade. It was such a pleasure to be taken on what felt like a journey of flavour through Mexico. Ernesto, the chef, owner and server was so friendly, welcoming and made my experience so educational. What started out as a meal on a small budget turned into an amazing culinary experience that I will definitely be returning to with my kiddos. This location reminds me of going on vacation and stopping off at a family owned restaurant watching the hustle and bustle of people in the community walking by while enjoying the rich flavors embodied by traditional Mexican spice. If you don't stop here once in your life, you're missing...

Overall: Most of the food was a miss - the chef’s need to reign in the quality.

Tacos: (1) The al pastor taco was by far the best - the meat was tasty. (2) On the other end of the spectrum, the steak was terrible - in addition to dry, flavourless beef, why would you ruin a taco with sautéed onions? (3) The barbacoa taco was over-salted and unenjoyable (and I have an above average salt tolerance). (4) the pulled pork taco was lacking in distinct flavour

Sauces: (1) Hot sauce - Did not enjoy this at all and ended up using Cholula at home. Their sauce had a distinct garlic and oregano taste that I did not enjoy at all. (2) Lime crema - This just tasted off. I think it was a mixture of mayo, lime, and blended avocado, but it wasn’t enjoyable.

Churros: Frozen product that once re-heated resulted in being overcooked on the outside and to dry inside. The dough lacked flavour. That being said, it has a nice thickness...